Born: 1684, Italy
Died: 23 August 1777
Country most active: Italy
Also known as: Clelia Grillo Borromeo Arese or Celia Grillo
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Clelia Borromeo belonged to a prominent patrician family in Northern Italy. Born in Genoa, she was the daughter of Marcantonio Grillo, the Duke of Mondragone, and Maria Antonia Imperiali.
Clelia received an extensive education in languages, mathematics, natural sciences, and mechanics. Fluent in eight languages, she had a strong interest in geometry, natural sciences, and mathematics. Her education began with her mother and continued in a convent, though it’s unclear where she specialized in these subjects.
Borromeo gained fame for her exceptional ability to solve intricate mathematical problems. She was characterized as an independent individual who defied societal norms for her gender during that period. Her salon welcomed prominent scientific minds of her time, including regular guest Antonio Vallisneri, a physician and naturalist from the University of Padua.
In 1719, she founded the Clelian Academy (Academia Clœlia Vigilantium), convening its members at her Milan residence.
The Clelian Academy wielded significant influence in the scientific and cultural debates of its time, particularly in promoting Newtonian physics and Leibnizian philosophy in Italy.
In 1728, Borromeo unveiled her discovery of the Clélie curve: q = mƒ. This mathematical concept describes the path of a point P on a sphere moving with q = mƒ, where m is a constant. This geometric pattern is referred to as the “clélie.”